Baseball Power Rankings (Week 10)

By Eric Sorenson | Apr 22, 2014Special to ESPN.com

Courtesy of Eric Evans

Oregon is one of three Pac-12 teams in the top 10 of the ESPN.com Power Rankings.

The top four of the Power Rankings stays exactly the same as Virginia, Cal Poly, Oregon State and Louisiana all kept up their end of the bargain. But beyond that, TCU's stunning sweep at Texas and UCF's 2-1 series over Louisville shook up the remainder of the top 10.

The one thing that jumps off the page is the performance of the Pacific Northwest. Three teams from Bigfoot Country grace the top seven, with Pac-12 leader Washington at No. 7 and the Civil War rivals Oregon State and Oregon both sitting in the top five heading into their showdown this weekend.

With the Ducks and Beavers facing off along with top-ranked Virginia heading down to No. 6 Florida State, expect even more shake-ups after this weekend.

Here are the best of the movers and shakers in the Power Rankings.

1. Virginia (33-7)

Trending:

Last week: 1

Of note: Stingy. That's the best word to describe the Cavaliers, who still lead the nation by giving up just 91 runs on the year. The No. 3-ranked team ERA of 2.06 helps.

2. Cal Poly (34-5)

Trending:

Last week: 2

Of note: Speaking of big-time stats, the Mustangs lead the nation in K's-per-nine-innings (9.4) and posted 41 punchouts in a three-game sweep of Cal State Fullerton.

3. Oregon State (27-8)

Trending:

Last week: 3

Of note: The eight-day break for exams is done; now the Beavers swing back into Pac-12 play with a huge showdown vs. Civil War rival Oregon. This will be a blast.

4. Louisiana (36-5)

Trending:

Last week: 4

Of note: The toughest stretch of Sun Belt play is ahead of the Cajuns as they will host third-place Texas State and then travel to second-place Arkansas State in the next two weeks.

5. Oregon (31-10)

Trending:

Last week: 9

Of note: A Duck lays the Golden Egg. Saturday starter Jeff Gold is one of four pitchers in the country with a 9-0 record, and he has surrendered just five walks in 67 1/3 innings.

6. Florida State (30-9)

Trending:

Last week: 7

Of note: Saturday's 4-3 win at Wake Forest was Mike Martin's 1,800th career win. He joins Augie Garrido and Gene Stephenson as the only Division I coaches to reach that lofty plateau.

7. Washington (27-8-1)

Trending:

Last week: 8

Of note: The Huskies still sit in first place in the Pac-12 and improved their road record to 11-2 after last weekend's 2-1 series win at California.

8. Louisville (28-11)

Trending:

Last week: 6

Of note: After a brilliant sweep at Houston last week, the Cards couldn't rebound, losing a 2-1 series at UCF. That drops Louisville 2½ games behind the Knights in the American.

9. Houston (29-10)

Trending:

Last week: 11

Of note: Coogs go 3-1 this week, including a series win vs. USF. All three wins were come-from-behind thrillers, and both wins over the Bulls were in their last at-bat.

10. LSU (30-10-1)

Trending:

Last week: 12

Of note: The Tigers showed some brass, winning a 13-inning thriller Thursday and taking the series at Ole Miss. LSU went into the weekend just 3-6 in true road games.

11. Oklahoma State (29-11)

Trending:

Last week: 15

Of note: Although their RPI is still a bizarre No. 54, the Pokes have won 12 of their last 14, including the weekend's stellar 3-0 showing vs. improved Kansas.

12. Texas (30-11)

Trending:

Last week: 5

Of note: Oof! An 0-3 tank job at home vs. TCU? After netting 25 runs on 36 hits at Oklahoma last week, the Longhorns got just one run on 17 hits vs. the Frogs.

13. Florida (27-13)

Trending:

Last week: 16

Of note: The youthful Gators have a two-game lead on South Carolina in the SEC East thanks to a sweep of Georgia. The pitch staff registered 25 K's and four walks vs. the Dogs.

14. Vanderbilt (29-12)

Trending:

Last week: 10

Of note: These guys are going through a painful stretch where they just can't get their cleats underneath them. The two losses to Arkansas means this was their third series loss in a row.

15. Rice (29-13)

Trending:

Last week: 17

Of note: The Owls swept UAB, which came into the weekend in second place in C-USA. John Clay Reeves caught all 29 innings and had a .462 on-base percentage.

16. Texas Tech (32-12)

Trending:

Last week: 18

Of note: The Red Raiders saw their eight-game win streak snapped in Monday's 4-3 loss at New Mexico, but they do not face a team with a winning mark in Big 12 play the rest of the way.

17. South Carolina (30-10)

Trending:

Last week: 13

Of note: It's been a terrible cold streak for the Gamecocks, who are 4-7 in their last 11. But they did pull out a pair of one-run wins to escape Auburn with a series victory.

18. TCU (26-13)

Trending:

Last week: NR

Of note: Talk about a dormant volcano that has erupted. Three weeks ago, the Frogs were 15-12. Since then they have gone 11-1, including that stunning sweep of Texas.

19. Indiana (25-11)

Trending:

Last week: NR

Of note: Continuing the theme, IU is another scorching hot club to watch after winning 13 of 14. Hoosier arms held Michigan State to two runs in 30 innings of play.

20. Pepperdine (30-9)

Trending:

Last week: 20

Of note: A.J. Reed gets all the pub, but the best two-way player out West is Aaron Brown, who is hitting .342-8-35 and is 8-1, 2.39 on the mound, holding opponents to a .215 average.